Thursday, June 02, 2011

I sometimes fear that I overstep my meager bounds re: Nerdapalooza. In previous years I was the guy who suggested that acts begin including cover songs in their sets, and already this year I've planned to help my boy kHill coordinate an admittedly ill-fated hotel room mini-show after the event's official pre-launch party.

I mean who the fuck do I think I am? This ain't my party! This ain't my disco! This ain't my foolin' around!

But of course all this self-flagellation is really just the lead-up to another of my harebrained schemes.

Don't act like you didn't see it coming.

Nintendo's newest handheld, the 3DS,hasn't exactly been the runaway success that many of us anticipated, but it's certainly managed to move an acceptable number of units in spite of its currently less-than-stellar game lineup. Part of the reason for this – at least from my own personal experience – is the cleverly implemented social features, and chief among these is the StreetPass.

StreetPass lets you share user data with other 3DS users simply by virtue of proximity. This data not only relates to specific retail titles, but also impacts the system's built-in games. The problem, at least for users in more remote areas like yours truly, is actually stumbling across another 3DS gamer within range.

To remedy this Nintendo has designated Saturday, June 25th as sort of an official meet-up day for 3DS users, a time when we can StreetPass to our very hearts' content. But it occurs to me that, though it occurs several weeks after this particular push, the Nerdapalooza audience's geek- and tech-friendly makeup would prove ripe for a similar event. The best part being that since most of us are staying at the same hotel, we can really just pack our 3DS systems in our carry-ons and activate StreetPass when we get to the venue. Easy peasy. George and Weezy.

So here is my modest proposal: bring your Nintendo 3DS to Nerdapalooza 2011. Turn on the StreetPass feature and then toss it in your cargo pocket or your swag bag. (Hell, you could even just leave the thing in your hotel room!) This way when you're checking out the gallery or grabbing a drink between sets or rocking out to Adam WarRock or even just roaming the halls, you can also be fighting it out in Figurine Mode or picking up new warriors for Find Mii.

Do it for your fellow gamers. Do it for you fellow Nerdapalosers. Do it for America.